Window screen cleaning implement



June 17, 1958 M. H. SCHOENFIELD ETAL 2,838,777

WINDOW SCREEN CLEANING IMPLEMENT Filed March 28, 1955 H. SCI-DENF/ELD IN V EN TORS.

l/forney DONALD E. SGHOBVF/ELD United States Patent F WINDOW SCREEN CLEANING IMPLEMENT Milton H. Schoenfield and Donald B. Schoenfield, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Application March 28, 1955, Serial No. 497,082

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-27 Our invention relates to wire screens in general and to' window screens in particular, and it has fora purpose the provision of a device or implement of simple and inexpensive construction, by which one is enabled to rapidly and effectively clean a screen of dust, insects'or other foreign matter.

"A' further purpose of our invention is the provision of a screen cleaning device which embodies a primary brush that is rotatably mounted in a frame, and has bristles which are readily flexed, a secondary brush rotatably mounted in the frame at one side of the primary brush and having bristles which are relatively stiff, and a handled yoke pivoted on the frame and which it is adapted to be held by the user to so manipulate the device as to bring the primary brush into rolling contact with the screen being cleaned in a manner to cause the flexible bristles thereof to be successively extended through the spaces between the screen wires and to thereby loosen the foreign matter accumulated on the screen, and to simultaneously bring the secondary brush into rolling contact with the screen in trailing relation to the primary brush and so as to cause the stiff bristles thereof to be successively projected through the screens spaces in a manner to remove from the screen the foreign matter loosened by the primary brush.

"In the accompanying drawings: 7

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one form of cleaning implement embodying our invention in operative position on a window screen.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the implement shown in Fig. 1 with portions thereof broken away, and the other portions in section.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the implement with aportion in section. V V Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another form of screen cleaning implement.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, our invention in itspresent embodiment, comprises a frame F preferably made of sheet metal, and of U form to provide an intermediate portion which is elongated and rectangular in outline, and two end portions 11 at right angles to the intermediate portion. Each end portion 11 is bifurcated to form a front leg 12 at right angles to the intermediate portion 10, and a rear leg 13 at an obtuse angle to the portion 10 so that it is slanted in a direction away from the front leg. The legs 12 and Here, at their free ends, bent upon themselves to provide extensions 12a and 13a, respectively, disposed in spaced parallelism to the legs and formed with openings 12b and 13b, respectively.

Rotatably mounted in the extensions 12:: is a primary brush P which is of conventional construction in that r it consists of an axle 14 made up of two wires twisted spirally upon themselves, and bristles 15 secured between their ends between the wires so as to extend radially from Patented June 17, 1958 ice the axle and spirally thereof as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.-

These bristles are relatively long and hence flexible as intended. The end portions of the axle 14 are rotatably fitted in the openings 12b, and their free ends are covered by the legs 12, as best shown in Fig. 4, for the dual purpose of centering the brush axially within the frame so as to prevent the bristles 15 from-contacting with the to the bristles 15, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

For manually manipulating the device as intended, a yoke Y is pivotally mounted on theframe F and provided with a handle H adapted to be gripped in the manipulation of the device. In the present instance the yoke Y is made of two lengths of wire 18 with one of their ends secured in the end of the handle H and forming the stern of the yoke, and then bent to diverge one from the other as indicated at 18a! At the other ends of the divergent portions 18a, the wires are again bent to provide linear and parallel spaced portions 1811 with the free ends thereof bent toward each other to provide stub axles 19 and 20, respectively, as best shown in Fig. 2. These axlesextend through suitable openings in the end portions 11 of the frame and provide a pivotal connection between the yoke and the frame.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the axle 19 is at right angles to the respective wire portion 18b, and in the plane of. the yoke, but the axle 20 is at an acute angle in relation to the respective portion 18b, and out of the plane of the yoke to provide a stop which engages the frame por-.

tion 10 to limit swinging movement of the frame F on the. yoke in a counter-clockwise direction as when viewed in Fig. 3 so that the frame cannot swing to a position in which the brushes P and S are unable to operate on a screen as intended. The axle 20 is shown in the stopfunctioning position in broken lines in Fig. 3.

Inthe use of the implement, the user, by gripping the handle H, applies the brushes P and S to the surface of a window screen W in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein the brush P is uppermost. Sufiicientpressure is nowexerted through the handle to force the bristles of the two brushes into the interstices or spaces between the wires of the screens so as to effect an intermeshing tate about' their own axes, the bristles 15 of the brush Ppassing successively into and outof the screen openings and, because of their length and flexibility, functioning to loosen dust, grease, insects, or other foreign matter accumulated on the surface of the screen.

The brush S being of smaller diameter than the brush P is rotated at a greater speed than the brush P, and because of the stiffness of the bristles 17 thereof and the fact that they too pass successively into and out of the screen openings, they operate to dislodge the foreign matter loosened by the brush P free of the surface of the screen.

This screen-cleaning action is made more complete by reason of. the spiral arrangement of the bristles 15 and 17, since under rotation of the brushes the bristles move screen openings at various angles, while the sides of the bristles rub against the wires at various angles and points,

all to the end of more effectively loosening and removing foreign matter from a screen than is possible by brushes having bristles extending only radially from the axles. Thus, the implement functions to completely remove all foreign matter from a screen and particularly that matter accumulated on the outside of the screen which is normally inaccessible from the inner side of the screen by a conventional scrubbing brush.

It will beunderstood that in the use of the implement, it is stroked first upwardly and then downwardly on the screen, the down stroke being only partly effective to clean the screen, but, nevertheless, made to facilitate stroking of the device upwardly. Manifestly, the implement may be moved horizontally or even diagonally over the surface of the screen, and if it is found more desirable I to operate it so that the down stroke constitutes the cleaning stroke thereof, the device can be inverted so that the brush P is lowermost.

During operation of the implement on the surface .of the screen, the frame F oscillates on the yoke Y, but to prevent it from swinging to a position in which both brushes P and 8 cannot be maintained simultaneously in rolling contact with the screen, the stub axle 20, in engaging the frame portion 10 as previously described herein, prevents movement of the frame to such a position.

In Fig. is shown a modified form of cleaning implement which is of the same construction as the implement shown in the preceding views, with the exception that a fixed secondary brush S1 is substituted for the rotary brush S. This brush S1 corresponds in length to that of the brush P and is of linear form, that is, its relatively stiff bristles 25 are parallel one to the other as secured in a back 26 which, in turn, is secured in a frame 27 fixed at its ends to the legs 13.

This modified form of implement is used to cleana screen in the same manner as described in connection with the other form of implement, the bristles of the brush S1 in their movement over the screen in trailing relation to the brush P being so flexed as to pass into the spaces between the screen wires, and thereby remove from the screen that foreign matter loosened by the brush P.

Although we have herein shown and described only two forms of screen cleaning implements, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may.

be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims,

What we claim is:

1. A window-screen cleaning implement, including: an elongated U-shaped frame; a primary brush rotatably mounted longitudinally in the frame and having relatively long, flexible and spirally arranged bristles; a secondary brush rotatably mounted longitudinally in the frame and having spirally arranged bristles stiffer than the bristles of the primary brush, and shorter so that the brush is of less diameter than the primary brush; and a yoke pivoted on the frame and operable manually to bring the primary brush into rolling contact with a screen so that the bristles thereof are successively projected through the openings thereof for loosening foreign matter accumulated on the screen, and to bring the secondary brush into rolling contact with the screen in trailing relation to the primary brush and at a greater rotational speed than and in the same direction as the primary brush so that the bristles thereof are successively and more rapidly projected through the screen openings to remove from the screen the foreign matter loosened by the primary brush.

2. A window-screen cleaning implement, including: a frame of U-form having an elongated intermediate portion, and end portions at an angle to the intermediate portion, and'extensions on the free ends of the end portions, said extensions disposed in spaced parallelism at the confronting sides of the end portions; a primary brush having an axle and relatively long and flexible bristles extending spirally therefrom; said axle at its ends rotatable in said extensions; a secondary brush having an axle with its ends rotatable in said extensions so that the axle is parallel to the first-mentioned axle, the secondary brush of substantially less diameter than the primary brush and having spirally arranged bristles stiffer than those of the primary brush; a yoke of substantially Y-form having the free ends of parallel portions at the ends of the divergent portions thereof bent toward each other and pivoted in the end portions of said frame on a line between said axles; and a handle fixed on the stem portion of said yoke so that its major axis is on a line intersecting the center of the intermediate frame portion, whereby with the yoke adjusted to a position in which it extends from said frame to the secondary brush side thereof at an acute angle thereto, by gripping the handle and pushing the yoke in the direction of the primary brush the implement can be manipulated to bring the primary brush into rolling contact with a screen so that the bristles thereof are successively projected through the openings thereof for loosening foreign matter accumulated on the screen, and to bring the secondary brush into rolling contact with the screen in trailing relation to the primary brush and at a greater rotational speed than the primary brush so that the bristles thereof are successively and more rapidly projected through the screen openings to remove from the screen the foreign matter loosened by the primary brush.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 375,319 Boyle Jan.-3, 1888 490,589 Roop Jan. 24, 1893 833,343 Sawdy Oct. 16, 1906 1,319,836 Boyle Oct. 28, 1919 2,691,182 Baize Oct. 12, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,895 Great Britain Aug. 19, 1899 26,930 Great Britain of 1903 45,948 Sweden Oct. 22, 1919 

